Fantasy Football: Week two dudes, duds, and deceivers
Christian McCaffrey, Running Back, Carolina Panthers
The “Dude of the Week” from week one ends up on this list just a week later. So I’m here to say that week one Christian McCaffrey is much more real CMC than week two Christian McCaffrey.
In week two, McCaffrey scored just 7.3 fantasy points after scoring 42.9 the week prior. He is still the third highest scoring running back in fantasy through two games despite his disappointing performance on Thursday night.
The Panthers as a whole were rather disappointing on Thursday night, and quarterback Cam Newton is now dealing with a foot injury with his status up in the air for week three. McCaffrey would likely benefit from Newton being out there, as they have a pretty clear, established relationship on the field. But regardless of who is playing QB, the goal should be to get the ball to CMC and let him do the rest.
After a weak second game, McCaffrey may not be on pace for a record-setting pace any longer, but he will be just fine. He is too talented and too dynamic to be held down, no matter the quarterback situation.
Joe Mixon, Running Back, Cincinnati Bengals
It’s always difficult to evaluate players that are dealing with injuries, but in the case of Joe Mixon, I think patience is key. Mixon went down early in week one with an ankle injury that limited him all week in practice. After participating in walkthrough on Friday, Mixon decided to give it a go on Sunday against the 49ers.
In the Bengals week two loss, Mixon received just 11 carries, managing only 17 yards. While 17 carries for 27 yards through two weeks are some alarming numbers, Mixon has not been healthy. I want to see him complete a full week of practice and then a full football game before I make any hasty decisions regarding his status on my roster.
As a Mixon owner, I did sit him this week, realizing that he probably was not going to get a full workload. So the poor performance was kind of expected, and we will wait and see what he can do once fully healthy.
Mixon has another tough matchup this week against the Buffalo Bills, so if he still does not participate in practice all week, he might not crack the starting lineup this week either, but after that the Bengals have a stretch of games with favorable running back matchups, so that should be when we really get to see what we have in our likely second-round running back.
Jordan Wilkins, Running Back, Indianapolis Colts
A Colts running back led the team with 82 rushing yards in week two. It wasn’t Marlon Mack, however. It was Jordan Wilkins. Wilkins racked up those yards on just five carries in the Colts win over the Chargers.
Someone may be scrolling through box scores or on the waiver wire in a somewhat deeper league and think they might be sneaky and add Wilkins to their fantasy roster. I would advise against that, at least at this point.
55 of Wilkins’ 82 rushing yards cam on one play. Four rushes for 27 yards is still decent, but nothing to get super excited over. Mack still received 20 carries in this game, and Wilkins was just used to spell Mack and give him a breather. Maybe Wilkins can earn a role on this Colts offense, but I would rush to waiver wire to add him just yet.
Demarcus Robinson, Wide Receiver, Kansas City Chiefs
For the second week in a row, a Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver leads all offensive players in fantasy points. This week, Demarcus Robinson totaled 35.2 PPR fantasy points, catching six balls for 172 yards and two touchdowns.
Sammy Watkins put out a similar performance a week ago for the Chiefs. Will it be Mecole Hardman next week? De’Anthony Thomas the next? Back to Tyreek Hill once he returns from injury? That would be my concern with adding Robinson.
Sure, Robinson could be incredibly valuable if he continues to be a large part of such a prolific offense. But Mahomes seems to be finding a new favorite target each week. Who will he settle on long-term? Who knows? It may continue to vary week to week, causing inconsistencies in the fantasy performances of the Chiefs receivers.
The upside is certainly there if you are in dire need of a receiver with a high ceiling. But I would want to see a bit more sustained performance at this level before investing in a guy like Robinson. With Hill out multiple more weeks, Robinson may end up being the big beneficiary. But it could also be Sammy Watkins like in week one. Hardman was added in many leagues prior to the games this weekend.
Next. PGA value plays at Sanderson Farms Championship. dark
It could never hurt to have a piece of the Chiefs offense on your fantasy team, but at this point there may just be too many solid weapons at Mahomes’ disposal to make any of them beyond Travis Kelce a reliable, week to week fantasy option.